


Calendar

by Laramie



Category: Cabin Pressure, Downton Abbey
Genre: Crossover, Fandot Creativity, M/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-09
Updated: 2015-05-09
Packaged: 2018-03-29 19:14:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3907492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laramie/pseuds/Laramie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Martin and Douglas have a rocky landing on the lawn of a certain Downton Abbey...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Calendar

**Author's Note:**

> At the last Cabin Pressure creativity night I mentioned that I had another fandom on the brain - Downton Abbey - and someone suggested a x-over. I didn’t at the time but this prompt gave me an idea… I don’t actually ship Martin/Douglas but this seemed like an amusing concept. Prompt: calendar. It’s pretty weird, idek. It was mostly a reason to write pining Martin & Thomas and hiding-it

It was the lack of people that tipped them off that something was wrong.

Having made an emergency landing (following an incredibly bad bout of turbulence) on the front lawn of a massive manor house, the four of them had stumbled out of the plane for a breather.

“Mum,” Arthur said after a moment. “Why aren’t there any people? Shouldn’t there be loads of people here visiting the old country house? That place definitely looks like it would be in the National Trust.”

“Maybe it is,” Carolyn suggested. “It could just be a quiet day. Martin, Douglas, go and see if you can rustle up some proper coffee not made by an Arthur.”

After some half-hearted grumbling, the two of them consented to the task, and trudged off across the massive lawn. Martin still felt a little shaky.

“Can you believe that landing?” Martin said. “I did well, didn’t I? Don’t you think?”

“I have never seen sir pull off such a masterful landing,” Douglas drawled, somehow making it sound like an insult.

Martin opted not to talk for the rest of the walk, for fear of Douglas’s assessment of his landing putting him down.  _He_ was proud of it, anyway. It was no mean feat to pull off an emergency landing on a lawn. He only hoped that Douglas could have been impressed as well…

The front door was shut, so they veered off round the side in search of an open door. It seemed very quiet for a National Trust property.

They came to a side door, which was open, and wandered in, looking for signs to a cafe. There were no such signs, though they did find a calender nailed to the wall in the corridor.

“Martin.. That calendar says 1922.”

“Well, maybe it’s a period detail,” Martin suggested, but he was starting to get a very odd feeling.

They went into one of the rooms with a large wooden table, and found a newspaper.

“Douglas, this newspaper says 1922 as well.”

They locked eyes for a moment, neither of them willing to admit that they were beginning to believe that the turbulence had been no ordinary turbulence.

Martin followed Douglas into an old kitchen, looking correct in every detail. It was warm from the fired-up Aga, and a selection of very real-looking food was arrayed on the table.

Additionally, there were two people in there, holding cups and looking startled.

“Hello,” the taller, dark-haired man said. “May we help you?”

“Well, ah, we’re just looking for some coffee. I’m Douglas, this is Martin. We thought there might be a cafe,” Douglas said.

“Why would there be a cafe?” the blond-haired man demanded, scowling. “We’re a bloody private house.”

The dark-haired man fixed him with a look. “Don’t swear. We’re supposed to make a good impression, aren’t we?”

The blond glared back at him, and Martin’s stomach clenched; the chemistry between the two men was unmistakeable. He glanced at Douglas, trying to gauge his reaction. He found himself doing that a lot lately, wondering if there was  _any chance_  Douglas might be bi rather than straight-as-an-arrow.

Douglas simply said, “A private house? We thought it might be part of the National Trust. We do beg your pardon for intruding. We’ve had rather a rocky landing, I’m afraid.”

“Landing?” repeated the dark-haired man.

“Yes, we’re pilots,” Douglas explained.

“In the army?” the blond asked.

“No, in a small charter firm. We fly wherever we’re asked. On this occasion, we encountered some quite terrible turbulence and had to make an emergency landing on your front lawn, I’m afraid. I  _would_ say that the company will pay for any damage but I very much doubt Carolyn would honour that.”

“You fly all over the world?” the blond said, and Martin recognised the hunger in his eyes. “You must see some pretty amazing things.”

“Yes,” Martin said, smiling. He glanced at Douglas fondly, as the man who shared all his experiences. “We don’t get too much time for sight-seeing, but it can be pretty amazing. Even looking out from the plane, with all the land below you.”

“Sounds good,” the blond said wistfully. “I’m Jimmy, by the way. This is Thomas.”

“You know, we ought really throw them out,” Thomas pointed out.

“But I want to hear about their travels,” Jimmy replied, pouting slightly. “We never get anyone interesting here.”

Martin watched Thomas melt and avert his eyes shyly. “I s’pose you could ask them a few questions.” He looked at the two pilots coolly. Martin found him rather intimidating.

“What’s the best trip you’ve been on?” Jimmy asked eagerly.

“We once went to Uskerty,” Douglas said, and Martin stared at him in alarm, knowing exactly which story he was about to tell.

“No, Douglas -”

“I and the steward spend several hours in the airport drinking in the bar, while Martin here went to retrieve a stuffed sheep and wound up losing his father’s signet ring to a goose.”

“Douglaaas!” Martin covered his face with his hands as Jimmy and Thomas chuckled, wondering if Douglas was going to tell that story to  _everyone_  they ever met. “Why do you always do that?”

Douglas grinned at him wickedly. “You can’t deny you are the  _master_  at being teased.”

“I wish we could go on a plane trip,” Jimmy said to Thomas. “We’d have fun.”

“Are-are you two together?” Martin asked.

“No!” Jimmy said immediately, his face turning red. “Why would you say that? Of course we’re not!”

“There’s no need to be  _quite_  so effusive,” Douglas said. “There’s nothing wrong with it.”

Martin’s heart swelled. He told himself not to read too much into the remark, fighting the smile that tugged at his mouth as he looked at Douglas.

“What about you two?” Thomas asked, looking shrewdly between them.

It was Martin’s turn to blush. He desperately avoided looking at Douglas. In the process, he noticed that Jimmy was shooting Thomas quick glances, with a different but still very familiar hunger in his eyes.

“Ah, no,” Douglas replied. “We’re not.”

“You rather looked as though you might be,” Thomas replied, shrugging.

“Life’s too short to not be with the one you love,” Jimmy said quietly.

This time, all four of them blushed, and avoided meeting anyone else’s eye.


End file.
